Murray-Darling Basin Economic Development Program – Round 2
Transcript of Murray-Darling Basin Economic Development Program – Round 2
1
Murray-Darling Basin Economic Development Program – Round 2
Please note: This grant opportunity will now close at 11.00pm
AEDT on Thursday, 20 February 2020. See Question 36 for more
details.
Questions and Answers
These Questions and Answers should be read in conjunction with the Murray-Darling Basin
Economic Development Program Round 2 Grant Opportunity Guidelines (the guidelines) and
all other relevant grant opportunity documents available on the Community Grants Hub
website.
Who can apply?
1. Which communities are eligible for funding?
Round 2 of the program is limited to the 31 communities in the table below. Maps of
these 31 communities can be found at Appendix A to the guidelines.
Communities Proposed for Inclusion in Round 2
(Reason for Inclusion, State)
Berrigan-Finley
(Election commitment, NSW)
Blanchetown
(Election commitment, South Australia)
Bourke
(Moderate Impact, NSW)
Brewarrina
(Lower Darling/Barwon-Darling water
recovery, NSW)
Cobram
(Moderate Impact, Victoria)
Coomealla (Moderate Impact, NSW)
Cullulleraine
(Moderate Impact, Victoria and NSW)
Deniboota (Moderate Impact, NSW)
Denimein
(Moderate Impact, NSW)
Hay
(Moderate Impact, NSW)
Kerang-Cohuna
(Moderate Impact, Victoria and NSW)
Kyabram-Tatura
(Moderate Impact, Victoria)
2
Communities Proposed for Inclusion in Round 2
(Reason for Inclusion, State)
Mannum
(Moderate Impact, South Australia)
Menindee
(Lower Darling/Barwon-Darling water
recovery, NSW)
Mildura
(Moderate Impact, Victoria)
Moree
(Moderate Impact, NSW)
Morgan
(Election commitment, South Australia)
Mungindi
(Lower Darling/Barwon-Darling water
recovery, Queensland and NSW)
Murray Bridge
(Moderate Impact, South Australia)
Narromine
(Moderate Impact, NSW)
Pyramid Hill-Boort
(Moderate Impact, Victoria)
Shepparton Irrigation Area
(Moderate Impact, Victoria)
Swan Hill
(Moderate Impact, Victoria and NSW)
Tailem Bend
(Moderate Impact, South Australia)
Trangie
(Moderate Impact, NSW)
Waikerie
(Moderate Impact, South Australia)
Walgett
(Lower Darling/Barwon-Darling water
recovery, NSW)
Wee Waa
(Moderate Impact, NSW)
Wentworth (inc. Pooncarie)
(Moderate Impact, NSW)
West Berriquin
(Moderate Impact, NSW)
Wilcannia
(Lower Darling/Barwon-Darling water
recovery, NSW)
2. How were the eligible communities for the program chosen?
Communities were identified by the Department of Agriculture through a range of
information, including research by the Murray–Darling Basin Authority (MDBA) that
evaluated the economic impacts of the Basin Plan on Basin communities. Based on
this information, the communities selected for Round 1 of the program were assessed
as most impacted by water recovery under the Basin Plan. Many of the communities
selected for Round 2 of the program are experiencing moderate impacts from water
recovery under the Basin Plan.
3
Other communities eligible in Round 2 have been included due to the proposed
acquisition of water entitlements in the Lower Darling and Barwon-Darling, including
A Class licences. This measure is part of the Australian Government’s response to the
Independent assessment of the 2018-19 fish deaths in the lower Darling Final Report,
an independent review led by Professor Robert Vertessey of the causes of the fish
deaths that occurred in the lower Darling in December 2018 and January 2019.
In addition, three communities, with small impacts from water recovery under the Basin
Plan, have been included due to election commitments made in the 2019 federal
election.
3. Why is my community not eligible to apply when we are doing it tough
too?
This program is not intended to address all of the difficult economic conditions and
circumstances that many Basin communities are facing from other circumstances such
as drought, job losses from mechanisation, or urban migration. Economic hardship is
widespread in the Murray-Darling Basin, especially during this period of drought, and
many areas would benefit from economic development assistance. There are other
state and federal government programs designed to assist communities more broadly.
4. Where can I find the research conducted by the Murray-Darling Basin
Authority (MDBA)?
The MDBA’s research found water recovery under the Basin Plan has led to varying
economic impacts in communities. The MDBA’s 2016 Northern Basin Review and 2017
Basin Plan Evaluation identified varying degrees of social and economic impacts on
Basin communities. More information on MDBA research can be found at the following
links, together with separate reports on each relevant community:
Northern Basin Review
Southern Basin Review
5. How exactly did the MDBA look at impacts?
The Northern and Southern Basin Review used changes in employment as a key
indicator of community impact. This approach acknowledges that changes to
employment levels are also influenced by a range of drivers of change, so it separates
the effect of Basin Plan water recovery from the other drivers of change affecting Basin
communities.
The research also considers the change to employment within the context of a number
of other factors. These include:
the scale, pace and method of water recovery
4
the influences of temporary and permanent water trade
the change in employment as a consequence of factors outside the Basin Plan
the size and economic and demographic diversity of each community, and
whether employment is increasing or decreasing over the time period examined.
The Southern Review deems a community to be:
‘Most impacted’ when water recovery has led to effects on employment greater
than 6%. Communities considered ‘most impacted’ were eligible for funding in
Round 1 of the program.
‘Moderately’ impacted where modest changes have generally resulted in changes
to total employment arising from Basin Plan water recovery, of around 3% to 5%.
There were 18 communities in this category and all of these were included in
Round 2 of the program.
Experiencing ‘small’ impacts where water recovery was estimated to have an effect
of less than 2.7% on total employment. There were 12 communities in this
category, with three included in Round 2 due to 2019 federal election
commitments.
The Northern Review deems a community to be:
‘Most impacted’ when water recovery has led to effects on employment greater
than 8% when combined with reduced in irrigated hectares by 15%. Communities
considered ‘most impacted’ were eligible for funding in Round 1 of the program.
‘Moderately’ (or ‘modest’) impacted where there was less than a 4.2% reduction on
total employment. There were five communities in this category and all of these
were included in Round 2 of the program.
Experiencing a ‘small’ impact where communities had little irrigation and no
expected water recovery. There were six of these communities.
6. Why was my area not part of one of the communities looked at by the
MDBA?
The geographical boundaries were identified by the MDBA in its 2016 and 2017
evaluations of Basin communities. The MDBA conducted research on areas across the
Murray-Darling Basin but did not publish community profiles on all areas. The
communities are not the same as Local Government Areas.
Northern Basin: There are 21 community profile reports for northern Basin
communities published in the Northern Basin Review. Areas were examined based
on the main town, its surrounding agricultural area and the location of the irrigation
enterprises relative to the towns.
5
Southern Basin: There are 45 community profile reports for southern Basin
communities published in the Basin Plan Evaluation. The community areas are
based on irrigation areas where possible and/or distinctive reaches of the rivers
based on particular types of irrigated production. In most communities there are
one or two urban centres included.
7. Why are the eligibility boundaries set where they are?
The boundaries of 29 of the communities are consistent with the boundaries for
communities as defined by the MDBA in its evaluation of the Basin Plan because this is
the best information the Department of Agriculture has to date on defined areas of
economic impact from water recovery under the Basin Plan. These community
boundaries are not the same as local government boundaries. Applicants should
carefully consider eligibility in conjunction with the detailed maps provided in the
guidelines. As Wilcannia and Menindee were not communities analysed in the MDBA
research, community boundaries have been set according to the expected impacts of
water recovery.
8. Why are there some communities with very irregular and unusual shapes?
If I am in one of the cut-out areas, including within an eligible community,
am I eligible?
The boundary lines have been set based on the research conducted by the MDBA and,
in some instances, they are irregular. The cut-out areas are usually included in different
communities, some of which have experienced different levels of impact from water
recovery. Please note some cut-out areas on the edge of communities may belong to
other communities in this round of the program. Check other maps to see if you may be
eligible in another community.
9. Is it okay if my proposed project also benefits regions outside of the
eligible community?
It is a condition of the program that the benefit of a project occurs within an eligible
community or communities. Incidental benefits for areas outside an eligible community
arising from a project designed to benefit an eligible community would be acceptable.
Projects intended to primarily benefit areas outside an eligible community would not be
acceptable.
10. Some communities exclude the nearest major town – why are these
excluded?
Some eligible communities include major towns and others do not. It depends on the
boundaries determined by the MDBA in their research, as previously mentioned.
6
We recognise the inter-relationships between many large towns that may be outside
the eligible communities and those within these communities. This is why there is no
barrier to any eligible organisation located outside of the community applying for
funding for a project that benefits the eligible community or communities.
For those applications that are successful and where the applicant is located outside of
the eligible community, we may make it a condition of funding that you demonstrate to
what extent the project is benefiting that community. For example, you may be asked to
supply specific stakeholder engagement or communication plans to demonstrate how
you intend to make the project available to the community.
11. Some communities stretch across state and local government area (LGA)
boundaries – who should apply for funding?
Any eligible organisation can apply for funding within the eligible communities. Joint
and/or consortia applications are welcome but there must be a lead organisation with
whom the Australian Government can execute an agreement. We would encourage
consortia applications for the benefit of the entire identified community rather than
competing applications that do not address the needs of sectors of the community.
For those projects crossing LGA boundaries, applicants should be clear in their
applications how the proposed project will benefit the whole eligible community and not
exclude those in other LGAs. Any successful applications that do not make this clear
may have a condition attached to their funding approval to demonstrate that all
members of the community will have equitable access to the project/grant funding. For
example, you may be asked to supply specific stakeholder engagement or
communication plans to outline your approach.
Applications that seek to exclude sections of the eligible communities will not be well
regarded.
12. Is this program aimed at providing funding for Indigenous communities?
The program supports Indigenous communities as part of broader communities. The
program was originally listed as part of the May 2018 Basin Plan Commitments
package, which had a strong focus on assisting Basin Indigenous communities. The
program was announced as being for ‘Indigenous, remote, rural and regional
communities most impacted by water recovery under the Basin Plan’.
Although the program now also funds a wider range of communities than the ‘most
impacted’ it still intends to assist communities with the characteristics of being
Indigenous, remote, rural and regional.
Indigenous organisations are specifically identified as organisations eligible for funding.
The Department of Agriculture welcomes projects from Indigenous organisations
including projects with an Indigenous focus within one or more eligible communities.
7
13. My organisation is in an eligible community. Why is my organisation not
eligible to apply?
The program is intended to apply to not-for-profit organisations that are also local
governments, Indigenous corporations, cooperatives, incorporated associations and
companies. All entities within eligible communities are encouraged to work together to
put forward projects. The guidelines allow non-eligible entities to partner with eligible
entities to propose a project.
14. So, I can apply with another organisation or as part of a group of
organisations?
Yes, as long as the lead organisation is eligible for funding. The application should
clearly identify the lead organisation and all other members of the group.
Should the application be successful, the grant agreement will be with the lead
organisation and the lead organisation must have a formal arrangement (such as a
memorandum of understanding) in place with all other members prior to execution of
an agreement with the Australian Government.
15. Are there other options for getting support for my community?
There are a varying number of state and Commonwealth programs that can provide a
variety of types of support to rural communities. Commonwealth grant opportunities can
be found at www.grants.gov.au.
What can I apply for?
16. How much funding is available for Round 2 of the program?
Up to $15 million (GST exclusive) is available under this round of the program. Thirty
one communities have been identified as eligible and a notional allocation of around
$450,000 (GST exclusive) is available in each eligible community for grants that deliver
economic development projects.
A minimum amount has been set for each eligible project. The set minimum amount is
$10,000 (GST exclusive). An application for grant funding below the set minimum
amount will be deemed ineligible and the application will not be assessed.
No maximum amount has been set for each eligible project. However, the assessment
process (Section 8.3) strongly advantages grant applications at or under the notional
allocation of $450,000 (GST exclusive) for each community. Applications seeking more
than $450,000 (GST exclusive) for funding may be considered but only if there is
sufficient unallocated funding after projects equal to or less than $450,000 (GST
exclusive) are recommended for funding.
8
17. Is the funding on-going?
No, funding is not ongoing and will conclude at the end of financial year 2022-23.
18. Is the program over three or four financial years?
Funding is available for projects over four financial years from 2019-20 to 2022-23.
19. Can I apply for both drought funding and this program?
The guidelines for Round 2 of this program do not exclude you from applying for
funding from other sources to contribute to your proposed activity. In fact, the
guidelines allow for funds from this program to be used to leverage funding from other
sources.
However, grant funds cannot be provided for the same project expenditure. For
example, if you propose building a childcare centre with an outdoor landscaped play
area, you cannot use multiple grants to construct this play area. You could, however,
use this program’s grant to construct the play area and another source of funding to
construct the building itself.
Please check the requirements for other sources of funding – they may not allow you to
combine those funds with funds from this program. If you propose a project dependent
on other funding sources we may make it a condition of approval of funding that these
funds are confirmed prior to signing an agreement with you.
20. What can grant funding be used for?
The grant funding can be used for a broad range of economic development projects.
Eligible projects must deliver economic benefits that address the economic impacts of
water recovery in one or more of the eligible communities.
The guidelines detail the types of activities (Section 5.1) and expenditure (Section 5.3)
that are eligible through the program. These lists are not comprehensive as it is
intended the program provide flexibility for eligible organisations to identify projects that
best address an eligible community’s particular circumstances.
21. What kind of projects were funded under Round 1 of the program?
The guidelines for both rounds of the program have not been prescriptive regarding the
types of projects that can be funded. The freedom available to communities to propose
projects that will stimulate economic activity and growth specific to the unique
circumstances of their own communities has resulted in a wide variety of projects being
approved.
9
Forty two projects were approved by the Minister and included projects such as:
ecotourism trails, leadership development programs, wild dog exclusion fencing,
showground renovations, an early learning centre, a holiday park re-invigoration, a
chronic disease and wellbeing centre, digital literacy and business marketing
workshops and many more. A full list of projects can be found here: Murray-Darling
Basin Economic Development Program.
22. Can I be funded to prepare my application?
No, funding is not available for costs incurred in the preparation of a project proposal or
related documentation.
23. Will the decision maker approve a different grant amount to the amount I
requested?
It is possible that the grant amount offered to successful applicants is less than the
funding requested. The selection advisory panel may recommend a lower amount of
funding for projects to the decision maker, in order to maximise the number of projects
to be funded, and maximise the number of communities with projects. There is no
obligation to accept an offer of grant funding. The amount of grant funding is a decision
for the Minister for Water Resources, Drought, Rural Finance, Natural Disaster and
Emergency Management (the decision maker) and the decision of the Minister is final.
In addition, the Department of Agriculture reserves the right to:
negotiate the scope of a project
specify conditions attached to the grant, and
impose conditions that must be met before funding is provided.
How do I apply?
24. What is the closing time and date for applications?
The program is now open and the closing date for applications has been extended to
11 pm AEDT on Thursday 20 February 2020. It is recommended that you submit your
application well before the closing time and date.
25. If I am not able to submit my application by the due time and date, can I be
granted an extension?
We will not accept late applications unless an applicant has experienced exceptional
circumstances that prevent the submission of the application. Exceptional
circumstances will be considered on their merits and in accordance with probity
principles.
10
If an application is late or the Community Grants Hub is requested to approve a
lodgement after the closing date the late application policy available on the Community
Grants Hub website will apply.
26. How can I submit the application form?
The form is an online application form that you must submit electronically via the
Community Grants Hub website. The Community Grants Hub will not provide hardcopy
application forms or accept application forms by fax, email or through Australia Post
unless otherwise stated in the Grant Opportunity Documents.
27. Do word limits apply to selection criteria?
Yes, there is a limit of 6,000 characters (approximately 900 words) for the selection
criteria. Attachments may be used as detailed in the guidelines and supported in the
application form, noting that there is a maximum of five attachments per application.
You should only attach requested documents as information we have not asked for will
not be considered. The five attachments include the two templates – a project plan and
project budget – and applications using the provided templates will be viewed more
favourably.
What happens next?
28. When will I know the outcome of my application?
You will be notified of the outcome of your application at the end of the selection
process after the closing date. For probity reasons, to treat all applicants fairly and
equally, it is not possible to give you information about the status of individual
applications during the assessment process.
29. How will you ensure that projects are in the best interests of a
community?
The Department of Agriculture would like to see broad community support for each
proposed project. Applicants must describe how the project is supported by the
community and how it links to relevant local economic development strategies. These
descriptions would reference the plans, priorities or challenges outlined in any relevant
local, State or Australian Government policies or other documentation that
demonstrates that the project is a strategic priority. You are not required to provide
these documents at the time of application but you may be asked for them at a later
date. Once the project is underway, the department will then monitor its progress by
asking you for reports. We may also conduct site visits and meet with relevant
11
stakeholders to ensure projects are meeting the economic development needs of
identified communities.
30. Will there be future funding rounds?
The decision to undertake another round of funding is at the discretion of the Minister
for Water Resources, Drought, Rural Finance, Natural Disaster and Emergency
Management (the decision maker). A future funding round might occur if there was
sufficient available funding after the second round is concluded or if further funding
were to become available. Eligible applicants for this round should apply in this round
and not rely on a possible future funding round.
31. I understand that during the opening period of the funding round a
machinery of government (MoG) process will be undertaken. How will that
affect my application?
Applications will not be affected by the MoG. On 1 February 2020, the Department of
Agriculture will merge with the Department of the Environment and Energy.
This change will not affect your application or the assessment process and will have
little consequence for the implementation or the management of the grant round. The
Community Grants Hub will continue to manage the application round and will be the
first port of call for all of your grant round queries.
32. Where should I go for further information?
Please email your enquiries to [email protected].
Updated Questions and Answers 33-37 on 16 January 2020
33. The maps are not very clear, how do people very close to, or under, the
boundary lines for communities know if they are eligible? Is the
Shepparton CBD an eligible area under the program? Is it part of the
Shepparton Irrigation Area (SIA)?
The boundary lines indicate the general limits of the impacts of water recovery, they are
not physical barriers. The lines indicate the areas that must obtain a majority of benefit
from proposed projects rather than the eligibility of the organisations that can apply. For
example, it doesn’t matter if an organisation wishing to apply is in the Shepparton CBD
or 50kms out of town – if a majority of the benefit is experienced in the SIA then the
application would be eligible.
The Shepparton CBD is not part of the SIA identified community. The SIA was
identified as moderately impacted by water recovery in the Murray-Darling Basin
Authority’s 2017 Basin Plan Evaluation and is therefore included in this round of the
12
program. The Basin Plan Evaluation reported no irrigated production or water recovery
from Shepparton-Mooroopna itself, but noted this area had experienced the effect of
Basin Plan water recovery from surrounding areas. It is these surrounding areas that
are the target of the round.
What this means when applied to Shepparton is that a majority of the benefit should be
experienced within the SIA community but we accept that some, incidental benefit may
be felt in the town. We accept that organisations delivering benefit to surrounding
eligible communities are likely to be located in the town and that by being located in the
town, some incidental benefit may be felt there. This would not make an application
ineligible. Eligibility would only be affected if a majority of the benefit of the project is to
be felt outside the identified eligible community.
Please also note that an application such as that described above, which is eligible but
does not demonstrate the benefits of the project proposal to the identified
community/ies, would not be competitive in this round.
34. Are those in Leeton Shire eligible to apply for the community of Hay under
Round 2?
* Please note this question is also relevant for other shires where only a small
amount of the community is present within local government areas (LGAs).
As the community of Hay, as defined under the program, reaches into the local
government area of Leeton Shire Council, eligible organisations in this shire, including
the Council, are eligible to apply.
The eligible community of Hay crosses a number of local government areas with the
area that crosses into Leeton Shire representing a small percentage of the total area of
this community. Organisations in this shire are eligible to apply and put forward project
proposals that benefit all or part of this community. However, please note:
Eligible projects should be in the eligible communities identified and must conduct
economic development activities that would mitigate the effects of the Basin Plan
water recovery activities in those communities. Applications for funding projects
that deliver a majority of benefits outside of the eligible communities will be
deemed ineligible, as explained in FAQ 9. Although there can be some incidental
benefit achieved by the proposed project outside of the eligible communities, the
greater this ‘incidental benefit’ the less competitive a proposal will become. When
assessing the extent to which the application represents value with relevant
money, the selection advisory panel will have regard to the extent to which the
geographic location of the application matches identified communities.
Eligible organisations are encouraged to collaborate with the broader eligible
community and, as appropriate, act in partnership with other organisations to
propose projects that stimulate economic activity and growth.
13
35. As the maps are not very clear, how do applicants know if a particular
location is eligible under the program?
We encourage applicants to seek clarification about the eligibility of potential project
applications via the Community Grants Hub website before preparing their application.
As explained in FAQ 33, the boundary lines of identified communities indicate the
general limits of the impacts of water recovery and are not physical barriers. Although
projects may be found eligible due to their physical location being on the boundary lines
of a community, applications for these projects would still need to clearly demonstrate
the benefits of the project within the nominated eligible community. If this is not done
the selection advisory panel may find the project ineligible. Furthermore, the selection
advisory panel will assess and rank other eligible applications providing benefits to the
same community/ies.
36. Why has the application closing date been extended?
Due to current conditions within the Murray-Darling Basin and neighbouring regions,
and in recognition of stretched resources throughout Basin states, the Department of
Agriculture is extending the closing date for applications to Round 2 of the program by
one calendar month.
The department was approached by a number of organisations with requests for
extensions and recognised that many communities would be unable to compile suitable
applications by the original closing date. The extension should enable organisations to
submit strong applications for good quality economic development projects to benefit
eligible communities.
The grant opportunity will now close at 11.00pm AEDT on Thursday, 20 February
2020.
37. I had started an application some time ago and the information has now
been lost/altered/corrupted. What do I do?
To allow the extension to the application closing date it was necessary to make some
technical changes to the application form on the Community Grants Hub and
GrantConnect websites. While it is unlikely, it is possible that data associated with
applications that were open or incomplete at the time the change was made could have
been affected.
If this has happened to you contact the Community Grants Hub on 1800 020 283 or
email [email protected].